Alexander hadn’t scored in the fourth quarter before driving for a layup that gave the Thunder a much-anticipated lead with 3 ½ minutes left. The OKC star poured it on from there as the Thunder rallied for a 112-105 win over Denver in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals Tuesday night at the Paycom Center.

The Nuggets are on the brink of elimination after a 12-point lead in the second half disappeared in Oklahoma City.

OKLAHOMA CITY — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points, and the Thunder beat the Nuggets, 112-105, on Tuesday night to go up 3-2 in their Western Conference semifinal series. Oklahoma City overcame a 44-point, 15-rebound night from Denver’s Nikola Jokic. The Thunder can clinch the series on Thursday in Denver.

Denver was last in the league in 3-point attempts per game during the regular season (31.9), but that number has jumped to 38.5 3PA in the four contests against OKC. In their first-round series versus the LA Clippers, the Nuggets fired up an average of just 29.0 3PA across seven games.

SportsLine's model simulated Denver vs. Oklahoma City 10,000 times and revealed its NBA picks for Tuesday's Game 5 Western Conference semifinal matchup